Sunday, July 7th began with an early wake-up call. I was drowsy, yet I couldn’t help but feel a little bit excited for the week that was about to come. I’ve always loved community service, so committing a whole week to it was very exciting.

Our immersion journey started at Jesuit, and after a seven hour drive, the wait was over: we had arrived at our church in Del Norte County, California.

Immediately, the staff at Sierra Service Project (SSP) tried to establish a bond with us volunteers – they were incredibly open and welcoming. We did some ice breakers with other students from other schools that were volunteering that week; it was great to build friendships with people I already knew and with those I wouldn’t have met otherwise. 

The second day was when the work began. We were assigned to our groups and sent to the places where we would help out the people in need. My group worked on creating a ramp and a porch for the disabled people that lived in the house. We got off to a strong start, laying down the groundwork and making sure we accurately calculated the ramp’s dimensions. 

On the third day, my group went back to the site that we were working on. There, I thought about how I should carry out my story. Should I just waste my life by not giving full effort, or should I put in full energy and discover new things, like a new sense of self or becoming closer to God? As I continued to work during the immersion, I came to the conclusion to commit myself to putting forth full effort in the work I was doing, but also with my relationships with others.

On the fourth day, everyone went to the sand dunes to pull out invasive grass. Working at the dunes was an important job: if we didn’t do it, the invasive grass would steal important resources and nutrients from the native plants. Later that day, the SSP staff held a social interaction with all the groups, where we had the opportunity to swim in a river and then have a barbeque. It was fun getting to hang out with my new friends and being able to continue my relationship with my existing ones. 

Unfortunately, disaster struck soon after. On the fifth day, I got sick with COVID, and had to return home, missing the final two days. 

Reflecting on my immersion, I am incredibly grateful I was able to unplug and go on the trip. It was a great experience that taught me many things about myself and others. I created unforgettable memories by spending time with people from my class. 

Overall, this immersion program taught me to be more open to new things. I was able to spend my time helping others while also learning to be more inclusive and to make new friends. The immersion at Del Norte was a very great experience, and I recommend it for any student who wants to grow as a person and a brother.